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–+ servings
overhead shot of lemon chia yogurt muffins cooling on wire rack
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5 from 4 votes

Lemon Chia Yogurt Muffins

Tender, slightly sweet, and full of citrus flavor, these lemon chia muffins are a healthier alternative to lemon poppyseed muffins! Made with applesauce and greek yogurt, they are free from oil and only 148 calories each.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 13
Calories: 140kcal
Author: Denise Bustard

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all purpose flour 125g; fluffed, spooned & levelled; see note 1
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour 125g; fluffed, spooned & levelled
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅔ cup applesauce unsweetened
  • ⅓ cup greek yogurt
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup buttermilk see note 3
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 lemons zested; see note 2
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • ¼ cup shredded coconut sweetened or unsweetened; for tops

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 400F. Distribute parchment muffin liners (see note) in a standard-sized muffin tray.
  • In a large bowl, combine applesauce, greek yogurt and brown sugar. Whisk until no lumps remain. Stir in buttermilk, egg, vanilla and lemon juice.
    wet ingredients for lemon chia muffins in bowl
  • Add the flours, baking powder and salt on top of the wet ingredients. Mix until *just* combined.
  • Fold in the lemon zest and chia seeds.
    lemon chia muffin batter in bowl
  • Spoon batter evenly into muffin tray. Sprinkle the tops with coconut.
    unbaked lemon chia muffins in muffin pan
  • Bake for 18-22 minutes, until edges brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
    baked lemon chia yogurt muffins in muffin pan

Video

Notes

1- you may use 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour, or 2 cups (250 g) white whole wheat flour, or a mix of all purpose and whole wheat (as written). Do not use 2 full cups of whole wheat flour as the muffins end up dense and gummy.
2- roughly ⅓ cup loosely packed lemon zest
3- if you do not have buttermilk, you can make your own using this recipe.
Muffin liners
This recipe works with silicone and parchment liners but not with paper liners. Alternatively, you can spray muffin tins generously and pop the muffins out when warm.
Storage
After baking, cool completely on a wire rack. Transfer to an air tight container or bag and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
To freeze-cool completely, then add to a heavy duty freezer bag. Suck the air out of the bag using a straw and freeze for up to 1 month
Variations
  • citrus- swap for lime or orange zest
  • chia seeds- swap for poppyseeds or ¼ to ½ cup chopped nuts
  • fruit- consider adding in 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries or cranberries
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 42mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g